#shio koji
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… Chef Koji Hagihara is one of the finest chefs currently working in NYC. Combining Japanese, Chinese and French training and techniques, he creates some of the most innovative and memorable menus wherever he works. I’ve posted about the amazing meals we enjoyed at Hakata Tonton during his long tenure there, as well as his time in the kitchen at short-lived hotspot Roki. Now Koji-san has moved downtown to the year-old Japanese eatery Juku, or more specifically, Juku Izakaya…
Juku is actually three different dining destinations across three floors… the top level being an outstanding sushi counter run by chef/owner/”sushi boss” Kazuo Yoshida, and the basement being a cocktail lounge with fun bar bites. The izakaya is sandwiched between the two on the main floor where Chef Koji runs the kitchen and recently revamped the menu in his signature style. Here’s a look…
Madai (red se bream) crudo with olive oil, orange, jalapeno and smoked salt…
“Foie Au Raisin” Gyoza…
Crispy dumpling skins topped with seared foie gras, green grape compote and prosciutto…
“The Garden”, a mix of seasonal vegetables, raw and fried, in a Japanese “hummus” with black shichimi spice…
Charred shishito peppers with parmsean cheese and olive oil…
A “Thrice Cooked Potato” topped with a mixed mushroom medley and truffle butter…
Blackened scallops with Brussels sprout leaves, cilantro chutney and aged soy salt…
Their insanely delicious Lobster Uni Mac & Cheese, which was more seafood than pasta…
The Colorado lamb chop…
Aged in shio koji and grilled to perfection…
Tea Smoked Duck, crusted in hojicha miso and served over a powder of cure duck egg…
A eye-popping platter of sushi and sashimi that Chef Kazuo was kind enough to send down for us…
The board was the size of the table and covered with every treasure the ocean has to offer…
And you can see the tuna-filled futomaki peaking through there…
Quite a treat, I must say, and devoured with a promise to sit at the sushi counter on our next visit…
The meal ended with an off-the-menu surprise, a bowl of Chef Koji’s new ramen…
A 100% fish-based broth made with the bones of red sea bream…
So simple yet so succulent, served with the springiest of noodles…
And for “dessert”, their Momo Jiri cocktail, a blend of Jasmine gin, white peach, lime juice and sparkling wine, topped with an edible Dianthus flower…
The name “Juku” can mean “cram school”, but is also a play on “jyu kyu” or “19” in Japanese (Kazuo’s old restaurant in Brooklyn was called “1 or 9”), hence the numbered jerseys the chefs all wear…
We could not have been more satisfied with the meal here at Juku! And not just with the tantalizing tastes or perfect portions of the dishes, but with the joy that comes from seeing one of your friends finding a new path in life and having such success on it!!
Please go down to Chinatown and let Chef Koji take care of you. And be sure to tell him that C.B. sent you!
JUKU IZAKAYA
32 Mulberry St.
NY, NY 10013
646-590-2111
